Garlic Beef Fried Rice

HOW WAS YOUR WEEKEND? We did the kid birthday party thing, went to a splash park with a friend who lives about an hour away, and Jay got home from Ireland last night! He was there for almost a week for a comedy festival and to golf, and to say it was the trip of a lifetime is probably an understatement. I’m asking him to write all about it for you, so stand by for some pretty serious travel journalism coming up.

First, though, fried rice. When I lived in Japan for a semester in college the host family I stayed with ate a ton of fried rice. It’s not really a traditionally Japanese dish, but it served as a catch-all meal: one dish, protein + veg + carb, use whatever you need to use up. My host mom, Keiko, was a great cook, and I loved that the fried rice we had was different each time. This is just an example – once you master the method fried rice becomes a great no-recipe quick dinner, especially if you have leftover rice. I find that takeout from Indian and Chinese places always give more rice than is needed for the main dish, so fried rice is a great use-up for the rice a few days later.

This version has very basic veggies and tender juicy ribeye. You can use any steak you like, or swap out chicken or any other protein you like.

I make this all in one nonstick skillet, searing the steak first and then making the rest of the dish. If you want to speed this up you can cook the steak separately, but this adds a dish and you’ll lose some of the flavor to the final dish. The rice is cooked right in the beef drippings, which adds tons of steak flavor to the whole dish. So! Heat a skillet to medium-high heat with some oil, and when the pan is very hot add the steak.

Cook the steak for about 3 minutes on each side until it’s golden brown and the meat is medium-rare. Cook it a bit longer if you’d like, but remember that the steak will go back in the skillet and cook a little bit more with the rice before you serve it.

While the steak is cooking, prep any veggies you are using, mince the garlic, and slice the scallions. Separate the white and green parts of the scallions. Take the steak out of the pan to rest, and add the carrots to the skillet with a bit more oil if needed. Reduce the heat on the skillet to medium.

Cook the carrots for about 3 minutes, stirring as you go, then add the white parts of the scallions and the garlic. Cook the garlic and scallions for just a minute or so, then add the rice.

Stir the rice into the veggie mixture, then pour the soy sauce all over the rice.

The soy and egg will crisp on the bottom of the skillet and give us the best little crunchy bits of rice that makes it feel fried.

After the soy sauce, add the eggs right into the rice. This is a Keiko move all the way; don’t waste time or extra dishes making an omelette when you could cook the eggs directly in the rice.

Once the eggs are in, stir them quickly into the rice so that they coat the rice evenly. Now, at this point you’ll mash the rice into a flat layer and let it cook for about 3 minutes to crisp on the bottom. Then you’ll stir, let it sit again, and repeat this a few times until the rice is browned and crispy in lots of places.

While the rice is frying, thinly slice the steak so it’s ready to be added back to the dish.

When the rice is crispy, add the peas, scallion greens, sesame oil, and steak to the rice. Stir everything together and taste for flavor – add a few more dashes of soy sauce if you’d like.

I love this. It’s such a simple set of flavors and so easy to pull together, but the end result is powerfully delicious, as all Monday night dinners should be. Salty + steaky + garlicky has my vote every day.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet to medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. When the skillet is very hot, add the steak and sprinkle with salt. Cook the steak(s) for about 3 minutes on each side for a 3/4 inch steak until medium-rare. Adjust the cooking time to your steak thickness and doneness preference. When the steaks are done, remove from the heat and reduce the heat on the skillet to low.

To the same skillet, add the carrots. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes until they start to soften and brown, then add the garlic and the white parts of the scallions. Stir for one minute, then add the rice and the soy sauce.

Stir the rice and soy sauce into the veggie mixture, then crack the eggs directly over the skillet. Stir the eggs into the rice to coat evenly. Press the rice mixture into an even layer and let it crisp with out disturbing for about 3 minutes. When bits of the rice are browned, stir again, press into a layer, and let crisp again. Repeat this one or two more times until the rice is browned and crispy in lots of places.

Meanwhile, slice the steak thinly against the grain.

When the rice is cooked to your liking, add the sesame oil, peas, green parts of the scallions, and steak to the skillet. Stir to combine and heat the peas though. Taste, and add more soy sauce to taste.